11 June 2016

Worker killed at shipbreaking yard in Chittagong

A worker was killed
and four others were injured as an iron plate fell on them while they were
working at a shipbreaking yard in Chittagong's Sitakunda upazila on Sunday.

The dead is Rana
Miah, 30, of Gaibandha, said the shipbreaking yard officials.

Abdur Rahman,
assistant sub-inspector of Sitakunda Police Station, said the accident took
place at Seiko Steel Shipbreaking Yard in Sonaichhari around 6:00pm. Five
workers were wounded in the incident.

Rana was rushed to
Chittagong Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead. The four
others wounded were taken to the hospital of Bangladesh Ship Breakers'
Association at Bhatiari in Sitakunda.

Abdul Hai Khan,
deputy inspector general of the Department of Inspection for Factories and
Establishment in Chittagong, said their inspector visited the shipbreaking
yard.

“We are
investigating whether the workers were provided safety equipment,” he said.

Asked, Osman Gani,
manager of Seiko Steel Shipbreaking Yard, said the workers were provided all
safety equipment, but they took off those due to severe heat.

“We will compensate
the victims' families as per the labour law,” he said.

An unnatural death
case was filed in this connection.

Including Rana, at
least four workers have so far been killed in accidents in different
shipbreaking yards in Chittagong this year. Around 13 workers were killed in
accidents in shipbreaking yards last year.